Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-05-12
MYSTERY OF THE SEA.
...b Tight schooner Picked Up in Mid
ocean with All Sails Set.
New York Sun

E& steries of the sea are 50 many anu
k& and are added to each month.
E&3,s boat. from which the name has
ef7lIv been obliterated, and which
Hi ~ The emaciated bodies of two men
I'D lave starved to death, is picked up
ne Pacific to-day; tomorrow a Gun
lar crossing the Atlantic reports see
q sailing ship bottom mp; next day
- .I;ct schooner sails herself into some
IL. - in the Caribbean sea, and nothing
III We learned of the crew who manned
~ And il may be that on the next
& ne great steamer leaves port on her
IA AGE to Europe and is never heard of
20 As an old sailor / have had the
to encounter some OF these strange
~. and will relate the incidents
3hout exaggeration.
ssSan the year 1861 was mate of a brig
4 S al the Henry and William, sailing be-
" non san Francisco and the Sandwich
9& snds. She was small, snug vessel, a
I4W sailer, and the captain was William
IN n.ing. He and his brother Henry were
g owners and the brig was named after
~ Just at daylight one June morn
IA in the year l have mentioned, while
j ~ were 300 miles from the islands, a
n ooner was sighted dead ahead. We
EGd fair breeze over the starboard
81 arter. and the schooner had all sail set
( "a was making good progress. Sails
~ re not an unusual sight on that route,
q we gave the stranger little attention
Il III We found that we we're overhauling
IN. She was exactly on the true course
n q the islands, and we were therefore
ha KILL 1g,x
Aen we first discovered her, but
81 the time we had washed down
IN breakfast had been served
Al was not over two miles ahead. There
u re some smart schooners flying in that
IA de. aud the fact of our outsailing this
8 e so handsomely put us IL good spirits.
IA we're hummlng along after her at
N he or ten knots an hour, when she sud
&nly came up into the wind in the most
4 Ebberly fashion, shivered there for a
I II ment, and then preached TO and was
~ ven of before the wind sideways. 1t
NJ lucky for her that the breeze was no
ASs onger. for the schooner was light and
HE$e movement would have brought disas-
A. seen as saw the schooner in trouble
+ Seized the glass and ran half wey up the
X re shrouds, and il wasn't minute be-
zstre | made the discovery that her decks
ire entirely clear of men. At this hour
N the morning both watches sd ould have
Wen on deck, but not sailor was visible.
1iis was an un-heard of occurrence
u t, as she had no signal of distress fly
D., and stood TOO high in the
Water to have been abandoned for leak
b. vessel, / could hardly credit 10Y
4slon. ] looked again and again, exare-
hing es cry foot of her docks, but it YVES
n plain feet that net q living person YVES
sight. / reported the matter to the
IN plain, and by that time We were so
Jose aboard that ell our crew could nete
y condition of things with the NAKED
b.. OEr ships hell was rung, and the
&en shoEted in chorus, but nothing came
n it, Il was then determined to board
r. ana As the brig was laid to, went
~ with three men in the yawl and was
4on at the strangers side. ! was bum
b. with curiosity at the start, but the
arer we approached the stranger the
eore Curiosity gave way to awe and fear.
There had been some terrible work
tbOard of her, or she would not be in
&at condition. Had a malignant fe7er
fIkeu Of the last Of the crew, or was 1t
IN ltlny and its CHASTITY consequences. l
taited q long minute after hooking or to
~ forechains to listen for some sound
45oard, bat the Stiffness of death reigRsd
4rom bowspirit to oompanieaway. |
fodded to one of the men TO come along,
DO the next moment was over her bows.
IN had e. pected to II Get with some shock
~ sight but was disappointed. THE
1ecks were free and passably clear of
9uBe. Some of the coils had fallen off
fhelr Delaying pins, and / could see at a
sKlance that the decks had not been washed
% several days, but aside from this L
sfogld deteot nothing out of the way.
~ he seuttle ives drawn over the foreeastle
1fntrance and bolted. My first action wac
n open this, and the rush of air told me
N hat the foresastle had not been venti-
pic tor several days. SEEKING a capstan
~ par which leaned against the anchor
sTIndlass, / pounded smartly on the deck
- called ont to know if anybody was
~ el'v. but no answer came. The man
81 nth me, WHO vas an old salt grew 20
M eryous that he would have returned to
r. boat but for my positive commands
M lhe contrary. As soon as satisfied that
81 De i0recastle was clear of men felt that
S De schooner was deserted and we at once
81 o"rred away the sails. Thjs checked
ii e, drift and the brig turned ON her heel
NJ r. came down close to US again.
n lhe next point Tor inspection was the
V7o'h ! went down alone, and in two or
" l4'ee minutes was satisfied that 1t had no
y occupants, living or dead. There was no
1''otdsF no sign on haste or plumber. l
wa smiling the air as / moved about, and
q 1'ua detect no odOr to prove that an
4 yp'osinlc had ragged. When | went on
-sNA 'ae brig was within speaking dis
auvT' drifting at the same pace as the
s-ooher, and | informed Capt. Lansing
Il "a inc state of affairs and sent the boat to
'.'uS him over. When he came we de-
-lsa INTO the forecastle and lighted
Ian -[ -tll There was plenty of oil in it,
',.us That some hand had turned out
"Shl IN the usual way. We then went
rs cabin. Everything appeared as if
'.1eeFs had simply gone on deck, ex-
mat there was not a single article of
Ag apparel. This was likewise true
Tue iozecastle. We looked for the
-''Hef log, but 1t was gone, as also
-ei papers and charts. We rum
v ne cabin for half an hour,